NRA board member and former Rep. Allen West said Tuesday that he’s calling Wayne LaPierre, the gun group’s CEO, to step down.
Mr. West’s stance marks one of the most prominent breaks for the National Rifle Association, which is already facing questions about its finances and which saw Oliver North abruptly resign as its president last month following a feud with Mr. LaPierre.
Mr. West, in a statement posted online, said he made his opposition known last month before the NRA’s meeting, where Mr. North quit and the board voted behind closed doors to elevate Carolyn D. Meadows to replace him, and to keep Mr. LaPierre on as executive vice president and CEO.
“I do not support Wayne LaPierre continuing as the EVP/CEO of the NRA,” Mr. West wrote. “There is a cabal of cronyism operating within the NRA and that exists within the Board of Directors. It must cease, and I do not care if I draw their angst.”
He also said the NRA board was too large, needed to have term limits and needed a better focus.
Ms. Meadows, the new NRA president, fired back in a statement co-signed by NRA First Vice President Charles L. Cotton and Second Vice President Willes K. Lee calling Mr. West’s break “unfortunate” and saying he mischaracterized the proceedings to reelect Mr. LaPierre.
“Fact — when the board met, Wayne was unanimously voted to continue in his leadership role of the Association. Anyone could have run against him, or any one of us for that matter, or even called for a roll call vote. They chose not to do so,” the leaders said.
The leaders characterized the dispute as the outgrowth of an ongoing fight between the NRA and its longtime public relations firm, which the NRA is now suing.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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